The Fountain of Youth
by kaibasgirlx
Summary: It was just a simple experiment. So how the hell did he end up as a 4 yr. old, and at the mercy of Cindy Vortex, no less!
1. Chapter 1

**The Fountain of Youth**

Sixteen-year-old Cindy Vortex sighed, as she copied down the notes her chemistry teacher was writing on the board. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Jimmy Neutron writing notes also, but his definitely had nothing to do with the current lecture. In fact, his was filled with all sorts of equations, theorems, postulations, and drawings that were probably all part of some new grand invention of his. Cindy didn't even know why Nerdbomb bothered coming to class, or why he even showed up to school altogether. He should probably be in some top university, geeking out with other science geeks like him, where they could all put their stupid big brains together and come up with their lame ideas and laugh at their stupid jokes—

"Yo, Cindy! Earth ta Cindy! Ya there girl?"

The blonde looked up with a start, her best friend Libby Folfax standing there, tapping her foot impatiently. She looked around, realizing that class had just ended, as everyone was getting up from their desks and heading towards the door.

"Oh, hey Libs."

"What're ya doin', spacin' out?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking why Nerdtron even bothers showing up to class. His stupid big head is such an eyesore every time I look at it."

Jimmy, who was still sitting on his desk finishing up his latest theorem, turned to throw a glare in her direction.

"Funny Vortex, I was just thinking the same thing about you. Considering your limited vocabulary and lack of intellect, I'm surprised you even possess the cognitive capacity to understand something like Boyle's Law of Gases!"

"Leave him!" Libby interrupted, as she saw the teen opening her mouth to retort. "Anyway, listen, Mr. Grundle put up the list for lab partners on the bulletin board."

"Lab partners?" Cindy blinked for a moment. "Oh, that's right! We have that chemistry project due the end of this week!"

"That's right," Libby nodded her head. "An' bad news, Cin, but we're not partners."

"What? !" Cindy's eyes went wide as she shut her binder and got up to check the list tacked to the board. "Well, if I'm not your partner, than who is?"

"Sheen."

Cindy stopped and looked at her friend. "Are you serious?"

"Mmmhhmm. Not that I'm complainin' too much, but it's gonna be a challenge actually gettin' him to work."

"I'm surprised he even made it to high school," Cindy muttered to herself. Louder she said, "So who's my partner? I hope it's Nick!"

A sound like a snort came from behind her, and she turned to see Jimmy sniggering to himself.

Cindy narrowed her eyes. "What's so funny, Neutron?"

"Oh, nothing," the teen responded, still chuckling. "It's just that, I find it amusing that you would hope for such a lame, moronic narcissist, who can barely differentiate his molecules from his atoms, to be your partner."

"No one asked you!"

"Actually, you just did."

"Hey Cindy! Oh my gd, you're never gonna believe who your partner is!" Libby said, as she stared at the list.

"Is it Nick?" Cindy asked hopefully.

"No, it's Jimmy!"

"What? !" Both teens yelled in unison.

Jimmy abandoned his notes for a moment, as he got up and grabbed the list pinned to the bulletin board. "Wh-wha, this is impossible! Why would Mr. Grundle even pair me up? ! And with _Cindy_ no less!"

Said blonde crossed her arms. "Well it's no picnic for me either, Nerdtron! You're the last person I'd pick to be my partner!"

Jimmy's eyes scanned the list, and he let out a gasp. "He paired up Nick Dean, with Betty Quinlan? !"

"What? ! Give me that!" Cindy grabbed the list from the genius, staring down at the black and white print. "Miss Perfect, and the hottest guy in school? !"

"This is an outrage!"

"I demand a reassigning of partners!"

Libby stared at them both, arms crossed, a rather bored and un-amused look on her face. "Are you two done yet?"

"I refuse to stand for this!" Jimmy cried.

"Me neither!" Cindy concurred.

"Whoa, why don't you two just take a chill pill, before tryin' ta raise the roof," Libby suggested, but Jimmy didn't hear her, as he grabbed Cindy's hand and pulled her along.

"Wha-Hey! Wait, Neutron, where are you taking me? !"

"We're both going to Mr. Grundle and demanding that he rectify this obvious error in judgment!"

Libby watched the two of them leave, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. She followed after a moment, wondering what this would all lead to.

"Neutron, slow down!" Cindy exclaimed, as Jimmy led her down the halls to the teacher's lounge. "And let go! There are people around, and they're starting to stare!"

"Oh," Jimmy stopped, letting go of her hand.

"Thanks for not ripping my arm off while you were running down the halls!" Cindy bit out sarcastically, as she rubbed her wrist.

"Sorry."

He turned and began walking again, as Cindy hurried to catch up.

"Listen," she said, once she was at his side. "I changed my mind. I don't want to be Nick's partner anymore."

Jimmy stopped again, and turned to stare at her. "What? ! Why?"

She shrugged her shoulders in response to his shocked look. "I just don't feel like it."

"Bu-But, that's ridiculous! You've liked Nick since elementary school!"

"I also liked oatmeal with carrots when I was two!" Cindy retorted. "What's your point?"

"It just seems odd that you would stop liking him after crushing on him for so long, that's all," Jimmy responded with a curious look on his face.

Cindy crossed her arms, turning away from him, as her cheeks began to turn red. "Yeah, well…" she was not about to admit that the only reason she didn't want to be Nick's partner was because she didn't want him being paired up with Betty.

Jimmy scratched his head. "Well, either way, I'm still asking Mr. Grundle for a switch or at the very least to allow me to do this on my own."

Cindy turned right back around. "What? !"

"I think the presence of another person will only hinder me, but if it were someone like, say, Betty Quinlan, than perhaps she may serve as an inspiration, rather than a nuisance."

Cindy clenched her fist, ready to give him the inspiration of his lifetime, when Jimmy turned and began to walk rapidly down the hall. She ran to catch up to him.

"Neutron, wait!"

By the time she caught up, he was already knocking on the door to the teacher's lounge, and a moment later, the image of their irate and irascible chemistry teacher made his appearance.

"What's this about Neutron, Vortex," he said, eyeing the two teens with annoyance. "And it had better be good."

"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Grundle, but you see, I was looking over the list of partners for the chemistry project due by the end of this week, and noticed what must have been a mistake."

"Oh?" Grundle arched a brow, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, as the boy continued talking.

"Yes. It appears that you've paired me up with Cindy, while partnering Nick Dean with Betty Quinlan, when it should really have been the opposite. I should be paired up with Betty, and Cindy should be paired up with Nick."

"Is that so?"

Jimmy nodded his head, glad to see that his teacher seemed to be understanding. Cindy, on the other hand, was not so optimistic, as Grundle turned to look at her.

"And you agree to this, Vortex?"

"Actually, Mr. Grundle, I really don't—"

"She agrees!" Jimmy interrupted her quickly, while shooting her a glare. Cindy shot one straight back at him, but the boy genius had already turned back to their teacher. "So as you can see, with both of us preferring to work with other people, the only sensible course of action would be to reassign us and rectify this obvious error in judgment. Of course, there will be no need to inform Betty or Nick, we'll gladly tell them ourselves."

For all his intellect, Jimmy still hadn't mastered the art of talking to other people, nor was he very adept at identifying the subtle hints of annoyance and irritation that seemed to come off their already very irate teacher in droves.

"Now you listen here, Neutron!" Grundle barked, causing Jimmy and Cindy to flinch. "The only thing I'm agreeing to is not putting you and Vortex in detention for the rest of this term! Now you two are going to be partners for this project and for all other chemistry projects until the end of the year, or your final grade is going to be an F!"

Jimmy's mouth dropped open. "But-But Mr. Grundle, please! I can't work with _her_! She's completely insufferable!"

Cindy's eyes went wide at the insult.

"Like you're any better? !" She shrieked. "You're the most impossible, big-headed, arrogant moron who always manages to mess everything up, no matter how simple it is!"

"That's not true! I've gotten much better with my inventions and experiments!"

"Oh yeah?" Cindy planted her hands on her hips. "What about last week, when that sleep-ray gun you invented to cure Sheen's insomnia malfunctioned and almost put the whole town into a coma, huh?"

"That was because of faulty wiring! It was an honest mistake!"

"Tch. Yeah! A mistake that nearly cost everyone their _lives_!"

Before Jimmy could open his mouth to retort, their teacher interrupted.

"ENOUGH!" Grundle shouted, their bickering grating on his nerves. "Neutron! Vortex! I will not be reassigning you, period! By the end of this week, if I don't get reports from the _both_ of you, not only will you fail this class, you'll also be getting three week's worth of detention! And Neutron, I'll _know_ if you did all the work yourself, got it? Now get out of my sight!"

With that, their teacher turned and walked back into the teacher's lounge, slamming the door shut behind him. For a moment, there was a stunned silence, until Cindy broke it.

"Nice going, Nerdtron. Great, now he'll be expecting us to work together."

"Yeah, well…"

"Ugh!" Cindy threw her hands up in frustration, as she turned to look at him. "This is all your fault! You just _had_ to ask to be Betty's partner! You couldn't just leave everything alone!"

"Oh yeah? Well I'd definitely rather be working with Betty than with you! At least she's a more pleasant sight!"

Cindy's eyes flashed, before she swung her hand back and smacked him across the cheek. Before he could recover from his shock, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, bringing their faces so close he could see the fierceness in her eyes.

"Let's get something straight, Nerdtron. I don't care how gaga you are over Betty. _I'm_ your lab partner, and if you somehow mess this up for me, and we don't get an A, I'm going to make sure you regret it! So I'm coming over after school, and you better not give me any of your crappy attitude!"

With that, she let him drop, and stalked away angrily to her next class.

Jimmy stared after her, rubbing the soreness of his cheek, and trying to figure out what in the hell had exactly happened.

"Whoahohohohoho! Boy Jimmy, you sure know how to rile up a girl like Cindy!" Sheen guffawed, as he and Libby walked over to him.

"We saw the whole thin', Jimmy. You better get off your sorry butt and apologize to her right away," Libby said.

"A-Apologize? !" Jimmy shot up in anger, one hand still held over his sore cheek. "She just slapped me! There's no way I'm going to apologize to her!"

"Well you insulted her, what'd you expect?" Libby asked matter-of-factly.

"Insulted her? !"

"Yeah, Jimmy," Sheen assumed an air of great wisdom. "Hell hath no fury like that of a woman scorned."

"Woman scorned? _What_? ! I didn't scorn her! I just told her the honest truth!"

"Ahhhh, Jimmy, my friend. You still have much yet to learn," Sheen laid a patient hand on his shoulder.

The boy genius shrugged it off. "This is absolutely ridiculous! If anything, she owes _me_ an apology!"

"Oh no she doesn't! You can't go around telling a girl she ain't pretty, jus' because you don' like her! Everyone knows that!"

"Yeah, even Carl!" Sheen laughed.

"I didn't say she wasn't pretty! All I said was that Betty is more pleasant than she is!"

"Uh…that's pretty much the same thing."

"Ahhhhh, what do you guys know anyway!" Jimmy turned away from them. "I certainly wouldn't care if she told me Nick was better looking than me! In fact, I'm pretty sure she _has_ told me something like that in the past."

"It don' make no difference. The rules are different with girls," Libby responded. "Besides, she's your lab partner. If you wanna have a good time together, you gotta make things right again, and the only way to do tha' is by apologizin'."

"And tell her that she's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen," Sheen added.

"What? !" Jimmy yelped. "There's no way I'm telling her something as preposterous as that!"

"Why not? I tell it to Libby all the time." To prove his point, Sheen got down on one knee, spreading out his arms towards his girlfriend. "Oh Libby, my heart and my light. You are more beautiful than an ice cream sundae, more radiant than a laser beam, more—"

"That's enough, Sheen," Libby interrupted him. "I thought I told you, not in the hallways."

Jimmy rolled his eyes, as the bell rang for 3rd period.

"Gotta go, Jimmy. Catch ya later."

"Yeah, see ya Jimmy!"

The two walked off, as Jimmy shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets. He turned to look at his faithful pet who had trailed behind him silently the entire time.

"You don't think I was wrong, do you boy?"

The robot dog made a whining sound.

Jimmy sighed, fidgeting uncomfortably. "C'mon, I mean, this is Cindy we're talking about. We're always busting each other's chops. Besides, she _knows_ how much I like Betty, it's not like it's a secret."

"Eow. Bark, bark."

"Awwwww, c'_mon_," he began walking down the hallways to his next class. "I'm sure by the time school's over, she'll have already forgotten about it."

Cindy, it seemed, did not have as short a memory as Jimmy would have liked, as she silently seethed through math class.

_Stupid Betty Quinlan, with her stupid perfect hair, and her stupid perfect smile, and her stupid perfect voice!_

She closed her eyes for a moment, the monotone of her teacher's instructions droning in the background. _Oh, who am I kidding? Of course Jimmy likes her, who wouldn't? She's absolutely perfect, and she's always so nice to him, while I'm always ripping him apart._

She sighed, holding her chin in her hands. Their mutual rivalry had started when they were kids, and had been ongoing. Even now, at 16 years old, they were still at each other's throats, trying to outcompete the other. She figured that was just the way things were between them. Sworn enemies one moment, best friends the next. She had assumed their rivalry would phase out with time, but it hadn't. If anything, the tension between them only seemed to exacerbate. It wasn't like she hadn't tried being nice to him, but every time she did, something happened that caused her to get angry all over again.

And now she had gone and _smacked_ him.

Well, it wasn't like he hadn't deserved it, she thought ruefully. Making a comment like _that_ to her. It had been way below the belt, especially for him.

She glanced over at Betty, who had math class with her. In the last five years, she had really blossomed into quite the beauty. Well, it wasn't like she didn't have her own attributes to flaunt, but Betty definitely had that charm.

The teacher asked a question, and Cindy raised her hand to answer it, but as she did so, she heard a different voice responding. She looked to see none other than the source of her ire rattling off the correct answer to the equation, as the teacher praised his brilliance. Jimmy turned his head at that moment and caught her eye, giving her a smug smirk.

Cindy glared back, cheeks turning red, as she looked away. Oh, she was _so_ going to make Neutron regret that comment to her today! He didn't even look the least bit remorseful, not to mention, he had the _nerve_ to smirk at her like that!

_That jerk! I'll show him!_

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. Jimmy and Cindy did not say a single word to each other since their exchange outside the teacher's lounge. When the bell finally rang for the end of the day, Cindy was the first one to leave the classroom, pushing past him to get to the door.

Jimmy took this as a sign of two things: 1) that she was still angry, and 2) that she was dealing with it by giving him the cold shoulder.

"She'll come around boy," he said more to himself, than to his pet, as Goddard made a whining sound at her retreating back.

"What'd I tell ya, Jimmy," Libby gave him a pointed look as she passed him by.

"Apologize, Jimmy. Then, all will be right in the universe," Sheen intoned, as he followed after his girlfriend.

Jimmy rolled his eyes as he swung his briefcase over his shoulder. His best friend, Carl, sidled up to him.

"Hey Jimmy."

"Oh, hey Carl," the young genius greeted nonchalantly.

The redhead fidgeted for a moment, rubbing his fingers nervously together, as he tried to come to a decision about something. Finally, he took a deep breath and turned to his friend.

"Listen, Jimmy. Libby and Sheen told me what happened between you and Cindy today. I just want to say that, even though she slapped you, I think you should still apologize to her."

"Not you too, Carl!" Jimmy cried in consternation. "Why is everyone telling me to apologize? ! It's like you said, _she's_ the one who slapped _me!_"

Carl gave a shrug of his shoulders. "It's just, I know if I would ever say something like that to Elke, she would slap me also, and probably start crying, not that I would ever say something like that to her."

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "I appreciate you're trying to compare my predicament with a hypothetical one of yours in order to give me some advice, but c'mon. This is _Cindy_ we're talking about. She's a lot tougher, and besides, we're always saying crap like this to each other."

"Yeah, but you never told her that she isn't pretty, or that you think there's someone out there who's a lot better looking than her."

"But she _knows_ how much I like Betty! It isn't a secret! And besides, I didn't tell her she isn't pretty."

Carl shook his head. "It's the same thing. Besides, there's a difference between knowing, and actually saying it. How would you feel if she said Nick was hotter than you?"

"Pffffft! Let her go ahead! I don't care! I already know she likes Nick! It wouldn't bother me at all!"

The teen shook his head. "I don't know, Jimmy. I think girls react differently to these types of things."

The genius brushed him off. "Hah. Nah. I mean, sure, she's mad at me now, but I'm pretty sure this'll all blow over by the time we get together to work on our chemistry project."

"If you say so, Jim," Carl replied, looking doubtful.

"I'm positive. Trust me, I know Cindy by now. She's not the type of person to take these kinds of things to heart…"

Carl shrugged as he waved farewell to his friend, leaving Jimmy alone in the classroom, his own empty words echoing around him.

"_She's not the type of person to take these kinds of things to heart."_

Though he would never admit it, even he had his doubts over his self-assured statement. He turned to Goddard, who was watching him.

"Well, she isn't, right?"

His pet tilted his head to the side. Jimmy sighed.

"C'mon boy, let's go home. We have a lot to do."

Once back in the lab, Jimmy set about working on his latest invention. It was an anti-aging cream, meant to transform the skin of any adult back to it's original state.

"And they say the fountain of youth doesn't exist! Ha!" Jimmy held up the beaker full of bubbling purple liquid. From beside him, Goddard barked.

"No, Goddard, this isn't like that time I turned Granny Neutron into a baby," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "This is for Mom. She keeps buying those expensive anti-wrinkle creams, and then complains that they don't really work. This is just something I'm whipping up for her so she'll stop wasting her money, _and_ get the results she wants."

"Bark, bark."

"Oh please, it's harmless! All this stuff does is cause the genetic coding of the dermis to revert back to its youthful structure. Folds in the skin and wrinkles are caused by the dermis losing its elasticity and collagen proteins. This reverses that. Unlike those anti-wrinkle creams, which only saturate the skin, this goes right to the source and fixes it."

"Bark, bark, bark."

"Well…if the user puts on too much at a time, it _might_ lead to an adverse effect, but I'll just warn mom about it, after I combine this solution with an emulsifier to make a paste. To be quite frank, it's most dangerous in the pure form I'm holding right now. As long as this doesn't land on anyone or anything, we should be absolutely fine."

The 16 year old placed the beaker in a holder, as he warmed up a jar of borax to use as the base for the paste.

"Okay, now to combine my anti-aging solution with the borax, and make the Neutron Youth Restoration Cream, the best anti-wrinkle cream to ever exist!"

Goddard merely whined, as Jimmy took hold of the beaker, walking over with it to the counter where the jar of hot borax lay. Just as he was about to reach it, heavy tremors began to shake the lab.

"What the—" Jimmy cried, as he lost his balance and fell over, the contents of the beaker spilling all over him.

The genius coughed, rubbing the solution out of his eyes.

"Oh no!" He cried, seeing what had happened. Before he could react though, another tremor shook the lab, as bottles rattled and glasses chinked together. "Vox, activate surveillance cameras!"

The computer monitor switched on, revealing a trio of men with jackhammers tearing through the asphalt right outside his home.

"Oh no," Jimmy muttered, pushing soggy bangs out of his face. "Dad said this morning that they were going to be doing repairs to our block. What timing for them to start! And now I've got the Neutronic Youth Stabilizer all over me! There's no telling what kind of an effect this is going to have, especially in such a huge and concentrated amount!"

xxx

Cindy sighed as she poured over her math homework. Trigonometry was definitely a pain, to say the least. Solving for sides and angles could get pretty bothersome after a while, but she was getting straight A's in the subject, so she couldn't complain too much.

Loud banging and drilling broke the peace and quiet in her room. Cindy moved to shut the window, catching sight of the labor men working. Even with the window closed, it didn't help much, as she could still hear the jackhammers drilling against the pavement.

The blonde shut her math book in annoyance, realizing that she wouldn't be able to concentrate. Why did they have to pick today, of all days, to repair the road? She sighed in aggravation.

"Well, better get a head start on that chemistry project with Neutron," she muttered to herself, as she grabbed her notes and headed across the street.

As she made her way to his lab, which was no doubt where Jimmy would be, she tried to think how she should act toward him. His comment to her from earlier upset her a lot, more than she cared to admit. Even now she wanted to smack him again, once didn't seem enough. Of course, if they would be working together, she had to be civil. Giving him the cold shoulder wouldn't really work, as they would have to share ideas and be creative. She _could_ act nice to him, but then that would give Jimmy the impression that she had forgiven him, which was simply not true. However, if he would apologize to her, then maybe she would consider forgetting the whole thing ever happened.

Then again, the chances of having Jimmy apologize seemed pretty slim. Libby had told her that she and Sheen berated him for what he'd said, but the guy was completely in denial about the fact that he'd said anything wrong.

"Stupid, scientific geek," she muttered to herself, as she pictured his smug expression from math class. She reached the lab and knocked. The noise of the jackhammers was grating on her nerves, and she wondered if Neutron had even heard her from outside. She knew he had surveillance cameras all over the place, so even if hadn't heard her, he should still be able to see her.

She waited a few moments, then knocked again. Still no answer.

"I told that idiot I'll meet him in his lab after school, what is he thinking? Why isn't he answering?"

She banged again. Finally, just as she was about to kick down the door, the ground under her feet disappeared, as she was swallowed down a long tube and landed unceremoniously on her rump as she hit the ground.

"Ugh, Neutron, you could've warned me!" She yelled, before she looked around, realizing the lab was empty. "Huh? Hey, where's Neutron?"

She got up, rubbing her backside a little bit as she took a good look around the place. It seemed completely deserted. But if Jimmy wasn't here, then how had she gotten in? And more importantly, where was he?

Suddenly, a rocket whizzed past her, along with a gleeful shout of "Wheeeeeeeeeeee!"

"What the—"

The blonde ducked as the rocket flew by her a second time, accompanied by a child's delighted laughter. This time around, she had gotten a better look, and saw the rocket was none-other than Goddard, with a small kid riding on top.

"Goddard, what are you doing? And where's Neutron?"

The robotic dog immediately did a u-turn once it recognized her voice, giving a bark as he pitched the child straight into her arms.

"What the—hey! Oooof!"

Goddard gave several barks as he landed on the ground beside her, the child laughing and clapping his hands gaily.

"That was fun!" He laughed, as he turned his big blue eyes to look at her. His face took on a look of curiosity. "What's your name?"

Caught off guard, the blonde blinked as she replied, "Cindy Vortex. Who are you?"

"Bark, bark bark!"

Cindy turned her attention to the robotic dog at her side. "Goddard, who is this? Neutron's long-lost brother or some—ouch!"

The little boy had just tugged on her hair, laughing.

"Hey! Don't do that!" She snapped.

"But it's fun!"

"I don't care if it's fun! Don't pull my hair!" She put him down on the floor, where he turned and promptly ran off. "Ugh. Little brat. Where's Nerdtron, Goddard? I want to give him back whatever experiment that kid is."

The top of Goddard's compartment opened up, and a robotic hand came out, pointing at the kid who was busily touching everything in his sight, as though he had some sensory disorder.

"Bark, bark!"

"Huh?" Cindy blinked. "What are you saying?"

"Bark, bark, bark!"

"Are you trying to tell me that that kid…that kid is _Neutron_? !"

"Eowwh, bark bark."

Cindy stared in disbelief at the robotic dog, before the kid came running up to her, tugging on her arm.

"Cindy! Cindy! Take a look at this thing!" He exclaimed excitedly, holding aloft the shrink ray gun.

"Give me that!" She grabbed the potentially lethal weapon away from him. "That thing is dangerous!"

"Jeeze, you don't have to shout," the boy grumbled.

Cindy could feel the oncoming of a headache, as she asked the question she was dreading.

"What's your name, kid?"

"I'm Jimmy Neutron! Do you know how old I am? I'm four!" The child held up four fingers. "And soon I'm turning five!"

Cindy staggered backwards, as she struggled to accept this warped reality.

"Neutron," she breathed. "You had _better_ have a good explanation for this!"

TBC...

* * *

><p><em>AN:_

_Okay, so...first things first. This was inspired by **twisted-vision **on DA, who's submission for JC Week's prompt 'experiment' inspired this. Or more correctly, it was her line in the artist's comment, but you can go look that up yourself if you'd like XD_

_I have the plot mostly figured out. This won't be very long, probably 10 chapters about, if I figured it right. Oh, and sorry about the crazy length of this first one; it was hard to find the right spot to end it at, but I think this way it'll segueway nicely into chapter 2._

_um, please review? pretty please? It'll make me update super fast. really._

_Téa_


	2. Chapter 2

Jimmy looked up at her, blinking his large blue eyes. "Explanation?" He repeated blankly.

Cindy crossed her arms. "You're _four_ years old!"

"Well, technically I'm four and a half," he answered cheekily. "But four is okay too."

Cindy rolled her eyes. Even as a kid, Neutron was still Neutron.

"Okay, listen..er..Jimmy," She said, kneeling down to his eye level. "I need you to tell me, what's the last thing you remember?"

Jimmy looked thoughtful for a moment, before at last shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know."

Cindy gaped at him. "What do you mean you don't know? ! You have a photographic memory!"

Jimmy shrugged again. "I know, it's weird, but I really don't remember."

Cindy pinched the bridge of her nose. Change that headache to a migraine.

"Okay, listen Jimmy, how about I ask you a couple of questions and you try and answer them as best as you can. Sound good?"

"Nah," Jimmy gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "That sounds pretty boring. I wanna go find Sheen and Carl so we can play!"

He turned to walk away. "Nice meeting you, Miss Cindy!"

"Wait!" Cindy cried, grabbing his wrist.

"Hey! Let me go! Or I'll sic Goddard on you!"

_Goddard?_ Cindy thought. _He already invented Goddard at four years old? !_

Despite the fact that she knew Jimmy was a genius, finding out that he invented an indestructible AI robot dog at the tender age of 4 made her respect him just a little bit more than she had beforehand.

"Okay, listen Jimmy, if you answer my questions, I'll take you to the candy bar for a purple flurp. Sounds good to you?"

Jimmy thought about it for a moment, as Cindy waited impatiently. "Make it a purple flurp and an ice cream sundae, and you've got yourself a deal!"

"What? !" Cindy cried indignantly. "I'm not buying you an ice cream sundae you conniving little snot-nosed bra—" She stopped short as she saw the skeptical look on Jimmy's face. She quickly swallowed her words, silently swearing that once she got him back to normal, she was going to make him regret ever being four. "Never mind. Alright, a purple flurp and a sundae. Now will you answer my questions?"

"Sure!" Jimmy replied cheerfully.

Cindy rolled her eyes, knowing she would get him back for this later. "Okay, now Jimmy, I need you to think very carefully and concentrate very hard. Do you remember _anything_ at all from today?"

"Nope!"

"Not even what you ate for breakfast?"

"Nope."

"Or what time you woke up?"

"Nope."

"Or that Avogadro's number is 6.022x10 to the 23rd? !"

"Avo who?"

"Never mind. I guess you haven't mastered the basics of chemistry yet at this age." Cindy sighed. "So you don't remember anything at all?"

"I already told you I don't!" Jimmy answered, getting annoyed. "Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Because you're really a sixteen year old genius who happens to be my lab partner for the chemistry project we're supposed to be turning in at the end of this week!" Cindy snapped. "And it's not like I can do it on my own, because Mr. Grundle is expecting something from _both_ of us!"

Jimmy blinked at her. "Huh?"

Cindy groaned, as she flopped down on the nearest chair, burying her face in her hands.

"Great, this is just great!" She moaned dismally. "Of all the stupid times for something to go wrong, it had to be now!"

"You're really weird," Jimmy remarked.

"Yeah? Well, you're a big-headed freak who goes crazy every time someone mentions the name Betty Quinlan!"

"Betty Quinlan?" Jimmy repeated blankly.

"The girl you've been in love with and have had a crush on since grade school," Cindy filled in for him dryly.

"Girl? Ewwwwwww!" Jimmy recoiled in disgust. "I don't like girls! They have cooties!"

Cindy stared at him, before she slowly began to smile. "Really? You don't like girls?"

"No way! Girls are gross!"

Cindy held her breath. "Even Betty Quinlan?"

Jimmy crossed his arms. "I don't know who Betty Quinlan is, but I bet she's really vile!"

Cindy let out a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Jimmy demanded.

"Nothing," Cindy replied happily. "You're right. Betty _is_ vile."

"I hope I never meet her!"

"Me too!" Cindy grinned, feeling a rare sense of happiness. "You know what, Neu-Jimmy? I think I like you this way. How about we go get you that ice cream sundae now? I think you deserve it!"

Jimmy cheered. "And don't forget, you also said a purple flurp!"

Cindy felt a twinge of annoyance, but brushed it aside. After all, a Jimmy that didn't like Betty Quinlan _deserved_ a sundae _and_ a purple flurp!

As she stood up, Goddard came over to her.

"Bark, bark, bark!"

Cindy blinked. "What is it Goddard?"

"Bark, bark!"

He lifted his front panel, revealing a screen. Cindy understood at once what he was trying to tell her.

"You can show me what happened to Neutron? !"

"Bark!"

"Well then show me!"

"!" Jimmy whined impetuously from beside her. "I thought we were leaving!"

"One second!" Cindy snapped. "Goddard's about to show me what happened to you!"

"But Cindy-!"

"I said you have to wait!" She turned to glare at him. Jimmy shrank back in fright, but Cindy, having turned back to the screen, paid no attention to this.

"_And they say the fountain of youth doesn't exist! Ha!"_

Cindy watched the Jimmy on screen holding up a beaker filled with bubbling purple liquid.

"_No Goddard, this isn't like that time I turned Granny Neutron into a baby."_

Cindy narrowed her eyes, remembering that incident all-too-well.

"_This is for Mom. She keeps buying those expensive anti-wrinkle creams, and then complains that they don't work. This is just something I'm whipping up for her so that she'll stop wasting all her money _and_ get the results she wants._"

"_Bark, bark."_

_"Oh please, it's harmless! All this stuff does is cause the genetic coding of the dermis to revert back to its youthful structure. Folds in the skin and wrinkles are caused by the dermis losing its elasticity and collagen proteins. This reverses that. Unlike those anti-wrinkle creams, which only saturate the skin, this goes right to the source and fixes it."_

_"Bark, bark, bark."_

_"Well…if the user puts on too much at a time, it __might__ lead to an adverse effect, but I'll just warn mom about it, after I combine this solution with an emulsifier to make a paste. To be quite frank, it's most dangerous in the pure form I'm holding right now. As long as this doesn't land on anyone or anything, we should be absolutely fine."_

_Ha. Famous last words,_ Cindy thought to herself, as she continued watching.

_"Okay, now to combine my anti-aging solution with the borax, and make the Neutron Youth Restoration Cream, the best anti-wrinkle cream to ever exist!_

"_What the—"_

Cindy's eyes went wide as she saw the lab shake, the beaker spilling all of its contents on one Jimmy Neutron.

"So the tremors from the jackhammers outside are what made him lose his grip. That explains it."

She looked around to see the boy genius (literally) sulking in a corner. She arched a brow at this. She had thought that he'd wanted to leave. Well, she certainly wasn't going to complain that he isn't nagging her to go.

Turning back to the robotic dog, she began to ask him questions, hoping he'll be able to answer her better than the person she had previously interrogated.

"Did Jimmy say anything else about the youth stabilizer formula?"

Goddard shook his head.

"So how do I change him back?"

The robotic dog gave her the equivalent of a shrug and a blank look.

Cindy bit her lip, trying to think. "This is _almost_ like that time he changed his grandmother into a baby. Back then, he came up with an antidote, but I don't know what it was, or even what he'd used. Goddard, do you have any ideas?"

There was a moment of silence, before words flashed on the screen.

"Ask younger Jimmy?" She read. "Goddard, he's _four_! He doesn't even know what a compound is, let alone the complications of genetics! Besides, I already asked him, he doesn't remember anything. There's no way he'll be able to come up with an antidote."

The screen flashed again after another moment, and Cindy read the new message aloud.

"Use the time machine to go back and stop Jimmy from spilling the formula?" She glanced over at the red telephone booth that housed the time machine, then at the four year old who was still sulking. "No, it'll never work. I don't really know how to use the time machine, and besides, I've never time travelled by myself before. What if I mess something up? Or worse, end up in a different time era and can't get back?"

The screen flashed once more for the third time.

"Wait until the potion wears off? You really think it will? Because there's no way I'm raising him for twelve years!"

Goddard barked, as Cindy sighed, trying to think of a solution. Finally though, she realized she couldn't come up with one, and decided to just take Jimmy to the candy bar like she'd promised, and also to get herself some fresh air.

"Hey Neu—Jimmy! Come on, let's go. We're going to the Candy Bar now!"

Jimmy's face instantly lit up. "Really?"

Cindy nodded. "Yeah, I think I could use an ice cream sundae myself."

Jimmy smiled, and she couldn't help but think how adorable it was. It made her wonder if he always looked this cute when he smiled, or if it was just because he was four years old.

_It's just because he's four,_ she told herself. _All little kids are cute when they smile._

They walked out of the lab together. Cindy unconsciously held her hand out for the young genius, and Jimmy took it happily, as she led the way to one of Retroville's favorite haunts. On the way there, Cindy was deep in thought. Knowing Neutron the way she did, he probably had notes written down somewhere about the formula he had concocted. Maybe, once they got back from the Candy Bar, she could search around for them, and see if there was some way she could derive an antidote that would possibly change him back.

Then again, Cindy brooded; his notes would probably be incomprehensible. Not that she couldn't understand advanced chemical equations, but probably a youth restoration potion would be beyond her. Maybe she could ask Goddard to try and come up with something, or at least translate the notes in a way that she could comprehend.

They reached the shop, and Jimmy let go of her hand, running in ahead of her. Cindy walked at a much more leisurely pace, somewhat amused at the kid's enthusiasm.

The Candy Bar was busy, as always, teeming with people from all walks of life.

"Cindy! Cindy!" Jimmy called excitedly, waving his arms and jumping up and down in excitement. Sam, the owner, stood behind the counter, trademark scowl on his face.

The blonde teen made a mental note to tell the kid _not to do that_ as he began talking excitedly.

"Look at all the flavors they have!" He exclaimed, blue eyes shining.

"Stop jumping up and down!" She hissed.

"Who is this kid, your long-lost brother or something?" Sam asked.

"No!" Cindy scowled. "This is Neutron."

"Neutron, eh?" Sam raised his eyebrows at the bouncing kid. "What'd he do to himself this time?"

Cindy shook her head. "Don't ask."

"How long till he turns back to normal, eh?"

"I have no idea." She answered miserably.

"Okay, I want a scoop of strawberry and…um…." Jimmy looked all the flavors, concentrating hard on which one he should pick as his second flavor. "Pecan crunch!" He finally decided.

Cindy blinked in surprise. "You like pecan crunch?"

"Yeah! It's one of my favorites!"

That was interesting. In all the time she had known him, she never knew they liked the same flavor of ice cream.

"That'll be 6.75." Sam answered.

"What? ! That's a rip off!" Cindy complained.

"Deal with it. If you don't want to pay, then get the heck outta my store!"

Cindy grumbled slightly as she reached for her wallet. She knew Sam was probably overcharging her because if she didn't buy, then Jimmy would likely throw a fit. Darnit, he was taking full advantage of this situation!

As Sam went to fill the order, Jimmy had hoisted himself up onto a barstool, and began twirling himself around.

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Quit doing that!" Cindy griped.

Jimmy didn't seem to hear her, or maybe he was just ignoring her. Whatever the case was, he didn't listen, and continued spinning around.

"I said, _stop it_!" Cindy held the sides of the barstool, forcefully bringing it to a stop.

"What's your problem?" Jimmy crossed his arms, looking irate.

"My problem is that you _don't listen when I tell you something_!"

"Well, why can't I have some fun? !"

"Because this—"

"Yo! Cindy! You babysittin' or somethin'?"

The blonde turned around to see her best friend coming up to her, followed by her boyfriend.

"You…could say that," she replied.

Sheen came over and poked the kid on his forehead.

"Ow! Hey! Stop that!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"Even the voice sounds familiar…" Sheen said slowly. "But that huge head is throwing me off."

"It's Jimmy, you idiot!" Cindy snapped.

"Jimmy? !" Both teens cried in unison.

Sam chose that moment to come back with the ice cream sundae, and as Jimmy relished his treat, Cindy filled the couple in on what had happened.

"No way…" Libby breathed, once the blonde had finished. She looked between her and the little boy eating his ice cream with gusto. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"I wish I was!" Cindy cried, throwing her hands up in despair. "I have no idea how to change him back. The only thing I can do is wait for the potion to wear off."

"Well, good luck with that!" Libby said skeptically. "I'll tell ya Cin, watchin' little kids can be a handful. Just ask Sheen!"

"Yeah, you should see what happens when I have to watch my little sister. It's a nightmare. Usually we just give her a can of redbull to get rid of her."

"Redbull?" Cindy arched a brow. "How old is your sister?"

"I don't know," Sheen shrugged. "I never bothered asking."

"Ugggghhhhh! How is Neutron even friends with you!"

"So what are you going to do now?" Libby asked. "I mean, there's only so long that ice cream is gonna keep him busy."

"I don't know," Cindy answered honestly. "But you guys will help me, right?"

"Uhh…"

"Eh…"

"Oh come on! How am I supposed to watch a hyperactive brat on my own? !"

"Not tryin' to back out on you in your hour of need," Libby began candidly. "But me an' Sheen were plannin' on goin' to Retroland. We have tickets purchased since forever ago, and today's the last day we can use 'em, before they expire."

"Retroland?" Jimmy, who had been quietly eating his ice cream, perked up at the name of the amusement park. "Can we go, Cindy?"

The blonde turned to glare at him. "This is all _your_ fault, and you expect me to treat you out to _Retroland_? !"

"Actually, I think kids under five are being allowed in today for free," Libby answered thoughtfully. She turned to boy. "How old did ya turn yourself, Jimmy?"

"I'm four and a half!" He answered proudly.

Libby whistled. "That's pretty lucky, huh Cindy?"

"Convenient, more like," the blonde grumbled.

"You never know, maybe if you wear him out, the potion will wear off."

Cindy perked up. "You think so?"

Libby shrugged. "I don't know, but at least it'll keep him outta your hair for a while. That's worth somethin'."

"Worst comes to worst, Cindy, you'll just end up raising him for twelve years," Sheen replied cheekily.

"Sheen!" Libby exclaimed, as Cindy recoiled.

"No way! I am _not_ going to be his mother! Besides, it's Neutron's fault he's like this in the first place!"

"Make him pay you back for your ticket to Retroland," Libby replied with a wink, as she hooked her arm through the blonde's. "C'mon, let's go!"

Cindy sighed, getting up. "Fine. But this had _better_ work." She turned to the little boy who was licking the last of his ice cream. "Neu-I mean, Jimmy, we're going!"

Jimmy looked up, before going back to finishing the remains of his ice cream. He then hopped off the barstool, and went over to her. "Where are we going?"

Cindy held out her hand for him to take. "Retroland."

"Really? !" Jimmy cried excitedly, as he took hold of her hand.

Cindy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, really. And you better not make me regret taking you, so you better not get lost, or nag me about going on rides you're not old enough for, or ask me to buy you things, got it?"

Jimmy nodded his head obediently. "Don't worry Cindy, I'll be the best!" He said with an incredibly sweet and endearing smile.

"You know, for a kid, he's pretty adorable," Libby mused.

Cindy gave a grudging smile. "Yeah, I guess he is."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

I am SO sorry for making you guys wait 6 freaking months for an update! I've just been so incredibly busy with school, that I've barely had a moment to breathe! And ever time I did have time to work on my fanfics, either I didn't have my notebook with me to type up the next chapter, or I didn't have a computer to type on. It took me until the end of Spring Break to have both things in the same place at the same time. Again, I'm really sorry about this.

Also, I apologize for not responding to you reviews. I didn't have access to a computer for quite some time after I posted this story, and every time I did, I forgot about replying. But I read each and every one of your reviews, and they meant a lot to me and brightened up my day, so please, please, please continue doing so!

Next chapter will hopefully be up faster! Please review! I might just forgo studying for my chem exam in order to type up this chapter! (Oh, okay, I'm kidding. But I might just type up the chapter right after I'm done with the exam next week!)

Téa


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